Footballers who played in China
A look at some of the most high-profile foreign footballers who have had spells in the Chinese Super League...
Football is the second-most popular sport in China, after basketball, and a version of the game has been played in the Asian country for at least 2,000 years.
The introduction of the Chinese Super League in 2004 thrust the nation into the modern era in football terms and the financial rewards attracted an array of stars from Europe and South America.
More recently, the rise of competitive leagues in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and beyond has seen fewer footballers head to China, while many of the ones who did have since moved elsewhere.
Here, a look at some of the most high-profile players to have had spells in Chinese football over the years...
32. Mario Suárez
Mario Suárez made over 180 appearances for Atlético Madrid and was a key player for the Rojiblancos in a successful period under Diego Simeone in the early 2010s.
After short spells at Fiorentina, Watford and Valencia, Suárez signed for Chinese club Guizhou Hengfeng. The midfielder spent two seasons in China before returning to Madrid and ending his career with Rayo Vallecano.
31. Carsten Jancker
Best remembered for a long spell at Bayern Munich in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Carsten Jancker played briefly in China later in his career.
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The former Germany striker joined Shanghai Shenhua after relegation with Kaiserslautern in 2006, but managed just seven games and no goals in the Chinese Super League and was back in Europe with Austrian club Mattersburg by the end of the year.
30. Axel Witsel
Axel Witsel moved from Zenit Saint-Petersburg to Tianjin Quanjian in January 2017 and the Belgium midfielder scored the club's first-ever goal in the Chinese Super League as he netted in a 1-1 draw with Shanghai Shenhua in March.
After a year and a half in China, Witsel joined Borussia Dortmund in August 2018 and later moved to Atlético Madrid in 2022.
29. Marko Arnautović
Marko Arnautović was linked with a number of big European teams in the summer of 2019, but eventually left West Ham to sign for Shanghai SIPG in a £22.4 million deal.
The Austrian attacker spent three seasons with the Chinese club and scored 19 goals in 33 Super League appearances before moving to Bologna in 2021.
28. Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan's well-travelled career included a two-year spell in China with Shanghai SIPG between 2015 and 2017.
The Ghana forward became one of the world's highest-paid players on reported wages of £227,000 per week after joining from Al Ain but made just 20 Chinese Super League appearances and returned on loan to UAE with Shabab Al Ahli in 2016 before joining Turkish team Kayserispor the following year.
27. Burak Yılmaz
Burak Yılmaz won 77 caps for Turkey and scored 31 goals in a long international career between 2006 and 2022.
The former winger played for all three of Turkey's big three teams: Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray; and he left the latter to join Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan in an €8 million move in 2016. After 18 months in China, Yılmaz returned to Turkey with Trabzonspor in August 2017.
26. Ezequiel Lavezzi
After eight-and-a-half seasons in Europe with Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain, Ezequiel Lavezzi signed for Hebei China Fortune in February 2016.
Lavezzi caused controversy in China by posing for a team photograph by pulling his eyes back and was forced to apologise, although he was reportedly being told to perform by the cameraman present. The former Argentina attacker stayed until November 2019 and announced his retirement after scoring in a 3-1 loss to Guangzhou Evergrande.
25. Alexandre Pato
After a brief return to Europe with Villarreal in 2016/17, Alexandre Pato signed for Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian.
The former AC Milan attacker spent two seasons with Tianjin and racked up an impressive 30 goals in 47 CSL appearances. The Brazilian returned to his homeland with São Paulo in 2019 and finished his career with the same side in 2023 after feauturing for Orlando City in 2021 and 2022.
24. Marouane Fellaini
After more than a decade in the Premier League with Everton and Manchester United, Marouane Fellaini moved to China with Shandong Taishan in 2019.
The Belgian midfielder spent five seasons with the Chinese Super League side and scored 51 goals in all competitions. His last appearance came in the Chinese FA Cup final defeat against Shanghai Shenhua in 2023.
23. Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Kanouté spent seven seasons at Sevilla and the France-born forward contributed significantly in a highly successful spell for the Andalusian club.
Kanouté left Sevilla in 2012 to sign for Beijing Guoan and the former Mali international wound down his career in the Chinese Super League, retiring from football at the end of the 2013 campaign.
22. Stephan El Shaarawy
After three seasons at Roma, Stephan El Shaarawy signed for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua in a €16 million deal.
The Italy attacker helped his team win the Chinese FA Cup in 2019, scoring in the second leg of the final against Shandong Luneng Taishan. In january 2021, he returned to Roma on a free transfer.
21. Obafemi Martins
After three years in Major League Soccer with Seattle Sounders, Obafemi Martins signed for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua in February 2016.
The former Inter and Newcastle forward scored in both legs as Shanghai Shenhua won the Chinese FA Cup in 2017. The Nigerian spent three seasons with the club overall and briefly returned after an injury in 2020, before seeing out his career in a short spell at fellow Chinese outfit Wuhan.
20. Alex Teixeira
Alex Teixeira was strongly linked with Liverpool in 2016, but left Shakhtar Donetsk to sign for Jiangsu Suning instead in a record £45 million (€50m) transfer.
The Brazilian attacker spent five seasons in China, making over 150 appearances and scoring more than 70 goals in that time. Also a Super League winner in 2020, Teixeira left to join Beşiktaş in 2021 and returned to his homeland with Vasco da Gama the following year.
19. Seydou Keita
Seydou Keita was signed for Barcelona by Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2008 and left the club following the Catalan's exit in 2012.
Though not first choice in Barça's best XI, the Malian was an important member of a squad which won 14 trophies out of a possible 19 in those four years. The versatile midfielder joined Chinese club Dalian Aerbin in 2012 and stayed for two campaigns before a move to Valencia on loan in January 2014 and a transfer to Roma in the summer.
18. Gervinho
Gervinho moved to Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune in January 2016 for a reported fee of €18 million.
The Ivorian winger, who had a two-year spell at Arsenal between 2011 and 2013, ruptured his knee ligaments in a training session in China and missed the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He returned to Italy with Parma in 2018.
17. Robinho
After leaving AC Milan in 2015, Robinho linked up with compatriot Luiz Felipe Scolari at Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.
The former Santos, Real Madrid and Manchester City attacker signed a six-month deal with Guangzhou, scoring three goals in 10 CSL appearances and winning the title before a return to Brazil with Atlético Mineiro in 2016.
16. Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Guðjohnsen played at a series of clubs all over Europe and beyond in a long and well-travelled career which saw the Icelandic icon carry on into his late thirties.
After a second spell at Bolton Wanderers in 2014/15, the former Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder moved to Chinese Super League side Shijiazhuang Ever Bright. However, his stay in China was brief and after 14 games and one goal, he was back in Europe with Norwegian side Molde the following February.
15. Yannick Carrasco
After two-and-a-half seasons at Atlético Madrid, Yannick Carrasco surprisingly signed for Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang (now Dalian Professional) in 2018 along with team-mate Nicolás Gaitán.
Carrasco spent two years in China, returning to Atlético in January 2020 and making over 140 appearances in his second spell with the Rojiblancos before joining Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab in 2023.
14. Paulinho
After two disappointing seasons at Tottenham between 2013 and 2015, Paulinho was sold to Guangzhou Evergrande for £9.9 million.
The Brazilian midfielder impressed in China, helping Guangzhou to a string of titles, and earned a €40m move to Barcelona in 2018. He won a La Liga and Copa del Rey double with Barça before returning to Guangzhou and picking up a third Super League title in his second spell at the club. Released during the Covid-19 pandemic, he finished his career with former side Corinthians.
13. Darío Conca
Once the highest-paid player in the world after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Darío Conca was on huge wages at Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, where he helped the team win three Super League titles and an AFC Champions League.
Following a spell in Brazil at Fluminense, Conca returned to the Chinese Super League with Shanghai SIPG, where he spent two seasons at the end of his career. The midfielder was never capped at senior level by Argentina.
12. Ramires
Ramires made over 250 appearances for Chelsea in six seasons at Stamford Bridge and helped the Blues win Champions League, Premier League and Europa League titles in that time.
The Brazilian midfielder moved to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning for a reported £25 million in 2016, but was released in 2019, having not played for a year. He returned to his homeland with Palmeiras that year and helped the São Paulo club win the Copa Libertadores in 2020.
11. Nicolas Anelka
Nicolas Anelka's well-travelled career took him from Paris to various English clubs, briefly to Italy, to Turkey, India and also China.
After four years at Chelsea, Anelka signed for Shanghai Shenhua in January 2012. Bizarrely added to the coaching staff to aid struggling boss Jean Tigana, the striker scored just four goals in 27 appearances before moving to Juventus on loan in January 2013. Following a brief spell at West Brom, he ended his career in India with Mumbai City.
10. Mousa Dembélé
Mousa Dembelé surprisingly left Tottenham to join Guangzhou R&F (now named Guangzhou City) in January 2019 for a fee of £11 million.
The Belgian midfielder, one of the most underrated players of his generation, spent three years with the Chinese Super League club before retiring in 2022.
9. Alberto Gilardino
Alberto Gilardino earned 57 caps and scored 19 goals for Italy in a nine-year international career and the former AC Milan, Parma and Fiorentina striker was part of the Azzurri squad which won the World Cup in 2006.
After leaving Genoa in 2014, Gilardino joined Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande. But after contributing five goals in 14 matches as Guangzhou won the CSL title, the striker returned to Serie A on loan in a second spell with Fiorentina and signed for Palermo in the summer of 2015.
8. Ricardo Carvalho
One of the greatest defenders of his generation, Ricardo Carvalho memorably played for Porto, Chelsea and Real Madrid in a successful career.
Also a Euro 2016 winner with Portugal, the centre-back finished his career with a short spell at Shanghai SIPG in 2017, but made just a handful of appearances and was hit with a seven-month suspended prison sentence in Spain for alleged tax fraud in October that same year.
7. Javier Mascherano
After seven-and-a-half successful seasons at Barcelona where he was used as a central defender instead of in midfield and became a key player in one of the greatest club sides of all time, Javier Mascherano moved to China in January 2018.
The former Argentina captain signed for Super League side Hebei China Fortune in a €5.5 million deal. He spent two seasons in China before winding up his career with a short spell at Estudiantes in his homeland.
6. Marek Hamšík
A legend at Napoli where he spent 11-and-a-half seasons between 2007 and 2019, Marek Hamšík moved to Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional for a reported €13 million fee in February 2019.
The former Slovakia midfielder made 45 appearances and scored five goals for the Chinese club before a short spell in Sweden at IFK Göteborg and two years with Turkish side Trabzonspor. He announced his retirement in June 2023.
5. Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba was a hugely popular player in his eight seasons at Chelsea and the striker was voted as the club's best ever footballer by fans in November 2012.
After helping the Blues to their maiden Champions League crown in 2012, Drogba was out of contract and the Ivorian left to join Shanghai Shenhua, but the Ivorian's stay in China was brief and following 11 appearances and eight goals, he moved to Galatasaray in January 2013. Drogba later returned to Chelsea for the 2014/15 season.
4. Jackson Martínez
Jackson Martínez was one of football's hottest prospects during his time at Porto, but the Colombian's move to Atlético Madrid in 2015 did not work out and he ended up in China after just six months in Spain.
Martínez moved in a €42 million deal, which was briefly an Asian record, but suffered a severe ankle injury after just 16 games in China and four goals. He did not feature at all in the next two seasons and wound up his career with a spell at Portuguese side Portimonense between 2018 and 2020.
3. Hulk
After spells in Brazil, Japan, Portugal and Russia, Hulk moved to Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG in 2016 for a fee of around £45m.
The former Brazil striker was reportedly earning over £16.6 million per year. He scored 77 goals in 145 appearances for Shanghai and helped the club win the Chinese Super League in 2018. Hulk returned to Brazil with Atlético Mineiro in 2021.
2. Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez was winding down his career at boyhood club Boca Juniors in January 2017 when he surprisingly signed for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.
The former Argentina attacker reportedly became the world's highest-paid player, although he claimed reports of his salary were exaggerated. He scored just four goals in 20 appearances, was criticised by coach Wu Jingui for being overweight and later described his time in China as a "holiday". Tevez returned to Boca for a third spell and stayed at the Buenos Aires club until his retirement in 2021.
1. Óscar
Óscar became the most expensive footballer in the history of the Chinese Super League when he left Chelsea to sign for Shanghai SIPG in a reported £60 million deal in December 2017.
The fee was an Asian record and the move took many by surprise as the Brazilian opted to make the move to China not at the end of his career but at the age of 25. The attacking midfielder helped Shanghai SIPG win the Chinese Super League in 2018 and again in 2023.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
